Why I love St John
Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:31 am
I have been a lurker to the forum for over a year. I had the pleasure of experiencing St. John in November of 2007. I went with my boyfriend, his sister and another girlfriend. It was the trip of a lifetime. I have been to other places, Hawaii, Dominican Republic, Caymans, Mexico and Barbados. Nothing compares to St. John. My boyfriend and I fell in love with it and fell more in love while we were there. We stayed at the Westin, and while overpriced was a good place to sleep. We rented a jeep and drove all over the island. The first day of driving was terrifying. I refer to it as the "death drive."
I truly expected my man to shoot us off a mountain. He loved it while I white knuckled the passenger seat. Our first night of driving landed us at The Shipwreck. We loved it! I made the mistake of not using the potty and tinkle before leaving. After too many painkillers and the fear of dying on the drive back, I made my man pull over. Sorry guys, it couldn't be helped. He scared it out of me.
Our first beach was Hawksnest. We grabbed our snorkel gear and hit the water for hours. It was fantastic. Our next day we parked across the street and walked 20 feet to the beach at Maho. The view was one that is now on my wallpaper of my home and work computer. We were lucky enough to see turtles. Every beach we visited, with Trunk being the exception, had maybe 10-20 people at most. Early one morning we planned our visit to Waterlemon. We read at the hotel that it was about a 15 minute walk to the beach. We learned very quickly that in island time that means 30-45. The walk never seemed to end, but when we got there we were the only ones on the beach. Later we walked up Peace Hill and enjoyed the view. We drove all over the island and loved every minute of it. We ate at Mango's, Chilly Billy's, the Donkey Diner and more. We bought jewelry in Mongoose Junction and souvenirs all over. We loved the laid back feel and friendly shopping.
When we returned we knew we'd be back many times in the future. I immediately began planning trip #2. As it turns out, we will be getting married on St. John in June of 2009. We are planning a 17 day trip. The first 8 days we'll be at Sapphire Breeze villa (there's a reason he picked this one), the next 5 will be spent on Virgin Gorda, then back to St. John for 4 more days. I have studied the forums and websites. I have created "villa charts". I have a notebook that I write down useful information about St. John I read on the forum.
When we went to Barbados this year, the first thing out of our mouths was "this is not St. John. We don't need to go anywhere else but St. John." Barbados will always hold fond memories. The boyfriend became the fiance. While down on one knee, he gave me a sapphire and diamond ring and told me he went with sapphire because we loved St. John and the ocean and every time we looked at it, it would remind us of a magical time.
I want to thank all the members of the forum. I feel like I know you. I've been reading your posts for a year. Every day you provide me with valuable info., make me laugh and count down the days to our return. We only had time to see a small part of the island. We look forward to finding new places to make new memories.
Leslie

Our first beach was Hawksnest. We grabbed our snorkel gear and hit the water for hours. It was fantastic. Our next day we parked across the street and walked 20 feet to the beach at Maho. The view was one that is now on my wallpaper of my home and work computer. We were lucky enough to see turtles. Every beach we visited, with Trunk being the exception, had maybe 10-20 people at most. Early one morning we planned our visit to Waterlemon. We read at the hotel that it was about a 15 minute walk to the beach. We learned very quickly that in island time that means 30-45. The walk never seemed to end, but when we got there we were the only ones on the beach. Later we walked up Peace Hill and enjoyed the view. We drove all over the island and loved every minute of it. We ate at Mango's, Chilly Billy's, the Donkey Diner and more. We bought jewelry in Mongoose Junction and souvenirs all over. We loved the laid back feel and friendly shopping.
When we returned we knew we'd be back many times in the future. I immediately began planning trip #2. As it turns out, we will be getting married on St. John in June of 2009. We are planning a 17 day trip. The first 8 days we'll be at Sapphire Breeze villa (there's a reason he picked this one), the next 5 will be spent on Virgin Gorda, then back to St. John for 4 more days. I have studied the forums and websites. I have created "villa charts". I have a notebook that I write down useful information about St. John I read on the forum.
When we went to Barbados this year, the first thing out of our mouths was "this is not St. John. We don't need to go anywhere else but St. John." Barbados will always hold fond memories. The boyfriend became the fiance. While down on one knee, he gave me a sapphire and diamond ring and told me he went with sapphire because we loved St. John and the ocean and every time we looked at it, it would remind us of a magical time.
I want to thank all the members of the forum. I feel like I know you. I've been reading your posts for a year. Every day you provide me with valuable info., make me laugh and count down the days to our return. We only had time to see a small part of the island. We look forward to finding new places to make new memories.
Leslie